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I didn’t grow up with the Berenstain Bears—having been born just a little too early—but I more than made up for that omission in my adult years thanks to an opportunity to spend time with Jan Berenstain, author and illustrator for the hundreds of Bears books. Over their long and productive careers, Jan and her late husband, Stan, had saved a collection of almost every drawing they ever made, every story they ever wrote, and every Berenstain Bears product ever […]

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February 28, 2012

Temple Run, an iPhone game, was recently the rage at my son’s school, so he downloaded it to my phone. It’s a basic survival game in which the player, an explorer, flees with the idol from a jungle temple. The game rewards quick decisions as the player tries to stay on the path and jump or slide under obstacles while attempting to outrun a pack of man-eating monkeys. The monkeys always win, but it’s a lot of fun trying to […]

Continue Reading about Fun with Video Game Versions of Archaeology Published on:
February 27, 2012

Studying play yields crucial insight into fields such as history, psychology, anthropology, biology, dance, ecology, education, ethology, folklore, leisure and recreation studies, musicology, philosophy, psychiatry, developmental psychology, neuroscience, sociology, mathematics, and the arts. There are others, too. In short, play is important. Yet you’ll find no Department of Play Studies at your local university. In fact, no such department exists anywhere. There should be such a thing, of course.
Play Scholars Fraser Brown and Brian Sutton Smith
 

The closest thing to […]

Continue Reading about TASP Play Scholars Gather in Martian Landscape! Published on:
February 27, 2012

Is The Wizard of Oz imprinted on your memory? I had a fresh realization of all the ways the classic 1939 movie is ingrained in my own mind when I recently explored The Wizard of Oz exhibit at The Strong’s National Museum of Play.

Growing up in the 1960s, I eagerly anticipated the annual showing of The Wizard of Oz on CBS. Running on a Sunday night from 6 to 8 p.m., the movie made a perfect backdrop for my family’s […]

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February 21, 2012

Once heading upward in the enforced conviviality of a chairlift I was so sure I knew the other rider—a jolly, talkative, round-faced fellow—that I asked if we knew each other. We didn’t. He wanted to know if he looked familiar. I said he did as a matter of fact, but something didn’t look right about the ski helmet. “Would it help if you pictured me in a top hat?” he asked. I said, “Where are you from?” “Punxsutawney,” he said.
Ha! […]

Continue Reading about Punxsutawney Phil, Ritual, and Prognostication as Play Published on:
February 15, 2012

Music is one of the first forms of play we engage in as infants, noted The Strong’s Vice President for Play Studies, Scott G. Eberle, in his American Journal of Play article, “Playing with the Multiple Intelligences: How Play Helps Them Grow.” Music plays a critical role in our development. Our subsequent education practically depends upon it.  And, in my experience, so does our health and happiness.
As babies, music can either stimulate or lull us. As we grow, we come […]

Continue Reading about Musick Has Charms to Sooth a Savage Breast Published on:
February 14, 2012

Here’s an amusing news item that’s got me a little steamed. Killjoys in Los Angeles County have passed a rule against play. Maybe you’ve heard of it. A 37-page ordinance recently promulgated prohibits any person “upon or over any beach” between Memorial Day and Labor Day “to cast, toss, throw, kick, or roll” any object other than a beach ball or volleyball. If the code enforcement officer catches you violating the law you may be liable to a $100 fine […]

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February 13, 2012

As an educator, I’m curious about how childhood play and learning experiences shape individuals at the top of their creative fields. Recently I asked Garth Fagan, Tony Award winning choreographer of the Lion King, just that question.
“As a child,” Fagan began, “I loved anything that got me moving.”
One of his favorite haunts, an Olympic-size pool at Bournemouth Gardens in his Jamaican homeland, served as an irresistible place for games of chase and dare. Fagan recalled how he and his friends […]

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February 10, 2012

In 2009, Mattel introduced two new Barbie dolls, Edward and Bella, to their Pink Label collection. I’m sure most recognize this famous duo as Bella Swan and her sparkly vampire beau, Edward Cullen, from the Twilight saga. Mattel released the dolls in conjunction with the November 2009 premiere of the movie New Moon, and has since turned characters Jacob, Alice, Victoria, and Jane into dolls as well. It seems Mattel couldn’t help but notice that Twilight has a veritable army […]

Continue Reading about Teddy Meets Twilight: Popular Culture’s Influence on Toys Published on:
February 7, 2012